mouthy pup

[team fudd]

just purchased a pup a couple weeks ago that is giving a lot of extra mouth, great hunt when hunted with other dogs but less hunt when hunted by himself and he seems to give a lot of extra mouth, he broke down the other day and was just kind of randomly running around barking when he couldnt find the line anymore, He had never been soloed until that day, I guess the previous owner had raised him from a pup and always ran him brace. Anyways He was very impressive when ran with a really strong male I have but kind of dissapointing when I ran him alone. He is only nine months old and I know he has a lot of growing up to do, he shows a lot of promise as well so I want to give him a fair shake but he wasnt cheap so I want to know what you guys think? Will he grow out of the extra mouth as he gets older? I had one that dropped a lot of it as he grew up but still pops off every once in a while if he is not ran up. Is there anyway to discourage him without him shutting him up completely? I would appreciate any suggestions, thanks, T.F.

[IndyBeagler]

Hello Fudd, if it was me I would just run him up real good putting more rabbits in front of him, and I would definately run him with a good check dog a little more, it may help before you try running him solo again, also young age can be a factor sometimes, but then again sometimes they never will loose the extra mouth. My personal oppinion is extra mouth doesnt hurt if your a gun hunter, sometimes it will help keep the rabbit moving, in my book the extra mouth is only bad for you if you plan to trial. Good Luck!

[bill huttozac]

A young dog that becomes mouthy may do so for any number of reasons. Some cosideration should be given to too much pressure by running mates. In this case, I find that soloing is a big part of the cure with experience and maturity being a large part of the remainder. Some dogs seem never to get above this fault. For me, it is just a irritant and a distraction to the rest of the pack. Good luck with that pup!!!

[buckshot464]

I have a pup who is 10months old and is doing the same thing. Its real frustrating at times. Is it bad to hit him with the shock collar when he is just excited and running around barking when he looses the rabbit? It doesn't bother me when he is on the line. We only gun hunt.

[buckshot464]

Today I ran each pup solo and it was definitely a learning day for all of us. They did ok at times with the tough conditions that were handed us. The mouthiness did seem to end after a half hour of being out on his own but he just couldn't keep the rabbit going.
I have worked these dogs at least once if not twice a week since they were a few months old. They have grown dependent on our seasoned dog. The one thing I haven't done is taken them solo. I fear it has cost me some time in there learning. I will stick to taking them out by them selves for at least half of the time I run from now on. Our old dog flash with just have to stay home for now! He was doing all the work. Time for the pups to step up.